The TransAtlantic Fan Fund

From the TAFF ballot form: The Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund was
created in 1953 for the purpose of providing funds to bring well-known
and popular [science fiction] fans familiar to those on both sides of
the ocean across the Atlantic. Since that time TAFF has regularly
brought North American fans to European conventions and European fans to
North American conventions. TAFF exists solely through the support of
fandom. The candidates are voted on by interested fans all over the
world, and each vote is accompanied by a donation [...] These votes, and
the continued generosity of fandom, are what make TAFF possible. (See
past and present ballot forms for more.)

TAFF Reports in Printed Form

General note: These should be available, if not
otherwise specified, from one or other of the current TAFF
administrators as above. At last report, former NA administrator
Chris Garcia was about to pass his stocks to Anne and Brian Gray.

Tobes Taff Ting,
extracted by torture from Tobes
Valois at the 2005 UK Eastercon and published April 2005.

WorldConNomicon, James Bacon's lightning
2004 report (40pp A4, small print with many photographs) is
available from him: £5/Euro7/$9 inclusive of postage, to 211
Blackhorse Ave, Dublin 7, Ireland. For those on the UK mainland,
Claire Brialey adds: "We have a stock of James Bacon's TAFF
trip reports here, for easier payment and posting to people who
want them in the UK. The same price of five quid including p&p
applies (cheques can be made payable either to me or to James
himself) ... 59 Shirley Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 7ES."
Available in the USA from the TAFF administrator(s).

Have Bag, Will Travel is the 1996 TAFF trip
report by Martin Tudor, who published it while still in office
(it takes the average Langford five years, and the average Hansen
ten). £5 post free from Martin Tudor at 22 Ravensbourne Gro,
Willenhall, W.Midlands, WV13 1HX, or from Mark Plummer at London
pub meetings. No longer available in the USA.

The Tudor Dynasty (Bid Zine), Martin Tudor.
Available from the TAFF administrator(s).

On The TAFF Trail, Rob Hansen's 1984 trip
report. Available from the TAFF administrator(s).

New Routes in America, Peter Roberts's
at-last-completed 1977 trip report – now running to 30,000
words, with copious cartoons and five new concluding chapters
written in 1999 – was published in December 1999; A4
softbound, 32pp small print plus covers, prelims and binder. Currently
OUT OF PRINT. Much of the report can be read
on this site: the full copyedited
text and higher-quality illustrations will appear here when David
Langford has the time.

The Moffat House Abroad, Len & June
Moffatt's 1973 trip report. Available in the USA from the TAFF
administrator(s).

TAFF Tales, Ken Bulmer's 1955 trip report,
was finally published as a single volume in 1998. Currently
OUT OF PRINT. A version it can be read
on this site: the copyedited text
and higher-quality illustrations will appear here when David
Langford has the time.

Announcements & Updates

November 2014 Declared candidates so far for the 2015
westbound race from Europe to the Spokane Worldcon (Sasquan)
are Nina Horvath and Wolf von Witting. Ballot forms are expected to
appear on 1 January: there is still time for further candidates to
step forward.

September 2014 Jim Mowatt announces that 2015 TAFF
nominations will open on the first day of
Novacon, 14 November 2014,
with actual voting to begin in January.

July 2014 Here's
a teaser
preview of stained-glass panels created by Bob Shaw and now
destined for the fan funds auctions at
Loncon 3 in August. [LATER:
The three separately auctioned pieces of stained glass were sold for
a total of £790. Thank you, fandom!]

26 April 2014 All you need to know
about the 2014 race in the last joint newsletter from administrators
Jacq Monahan (soon to step down in favour of Curt Phillips) and Jim
Mowatt: TAFFtastic
#1:3.

24 April 2014 Curt Phillips has won
the 2014 eastbound TAFF race by
a clear first-round majority and will attend
Loncon 3 as TAFF delegate.
Congratulations to Curt; commiserations to the rival candidates Brad
and Cindy Foster (standing jointly) and Randy Smith. Voting details
to follow in an official TAFF newsletter from our hero
administrators.

March 2014 Early fan fund winner Jerome K. Jerome records
that familiar feeling of trip report duties: "It would have
been a very enjoyable ride altogether, that evenings spin
along the banks of the Rhine, if I had not been haunted at the time
by the idea that I should have to write an account of it next day in
my diary. As it was, I enjoyed it as a man enjoys a dinner when he
has got to make a speech after it, or as a critic enjoys a play."
(Diary of a Pilgrimage, 1891)

March 2014 A further newsletter from administrators Jacq
Monahan and Jim Mowatt: TAFFtastic
#1:2 dated 1 March. In which the 2014 candidates explain
themselves.

1 January 2014 The final line-up for the 2014 eastbound
TAFF race consists of Brad and Cindy Foster (standing jointly), Curt
Phillips, and Randy Smith. Good fans all. Jim Mowatt has set up a
PayPal TAFF
Voting page. This site now has an HTML page for
the actual ballot with the
candidates' platforms;
there are also PDF and
RTF versions. Voting continues
to 22 April 2014.

4 October 2011 The 2012 TAFF ballot is now available from
this site in Word (.doc) ,
RTF and
PDF formats. HTML, to match the
archive of past ballots, will follow when Langford finds some of
that copious spare time.

2 October 2011 Candidates in the 2012 eastbound TAFF race
are Warren Buff, Kim Kofmel and Jacq Monahan. Official announcement
and ballot to follow soon, with an expected voting deadline of
mid-December.

27 April 2011 The voting deadline was midnight on the
26th, and John Coxon (to whom congratulations) is winner of a TAFF
race in which the 20% rule
played its most dramatic role yet. Se the voting figures
here or in Steve Green's
newsletter Taffline 2 [PDF].
Concern that the 20% rule could have a harsh effect on races with
several candidates was noted on
this site several years ago; this is the first race whose
unusual voting patterns have brought the issue to life.

12 April 2011 Steve Green whips up a final 2011 voting
frenzy with his newsletter Taffline
1 [PDF].

29 January 2011 By popular demand, to allow campaigning
and voting at Eastercon,
the 2011 TAFF voting deadline has been extended to midnight GMT on
26 April 2011 (7pm EST; 4pm PST).
Official press release here. The
ballot form (all versions – see "TAFF Now" at left)
has been suitably amended. Again.

18 January 2011Jim
Mowatt's Pips 05 is a podcast (dread word) of
interviews with all four 2011 TAFF candidates. No comment from your
friendly TAFF webmaster, who is too deaf to cope with these things;
but I'm sure it's all very wonderful.

3 January 2011 PayPal payments can be made to either
administrator's e-address. See note under TAFF Now at the
left.

20 December 2010 The 2001 TAFF ballot form has been
released in Word and
PDF format. Here is this site's
traditional HTML version.

26 September 2010 Steve Green writes: "The 2011 TAFF
race (Europe > North America) will open for nominations on 12
November (the first day of Novacon 40). The nomination process will
be closed on 18 December and candidates announced no later than 20
December. The race itself will run until 12 March 2011, with the
winner attending Renovation, the 69th World SF Convention, in Reno,
Nevada, 17-21 August 2011. Anyone interested in standing should
contact me via e-mail: stevegreen at livejournal dot com."